When High-End Meets Hoi Polloi, It's Usually Bad News

Wal-Mart's outperformance of Nordstrom has been a poor portent for the economy and stocks.

For years, folks who wouldn't deign to shop at the world's biggest retailer could take vicarious pleasure by observing some of its odder patrons at a Web site devoted to them, www.peopleofwalmart.com. There one will find photos snapped surreptitiously of some of the wackier ones, many of whom seem to favor excessively skimpy outfits that fall well short of covering their overly ample...